So, this happened.

You ever take a book from your bookshelves you’ve had for years and start to read it?And guess what? It’s perfect for you at this time in your life.

Now I’ve had quite a year of at home inner adventures.At one point, I decided to clean kondomari-esquely.I know it’s not a word but the idea is, I decluttered A LOT.Anybody familiar with the Marie Kondo books?The bookshelves alone took weeks.Amazon and I are close friends, and not just for books y’all.My local librarians also know my face very well. Go public libraries!

I spent weeks sorting through my bookshelves looking to let go and inspire others.I let go of the books I’ve read that I knew I wasn’t going to read again. Did they bring me joy?Of course they did and it was time to share that joy with others.I let go of books on my shelves that I thought I would read, but never did.Can I just tell you, I don’t even remember those titles. You know how you collect titles.Someone told me to read this person’s work.Okay, I’ll get it.Ooh, that looks interesting.Buy it.That NPR Story sounds amazing.Got it!I’m doing me, I want to know something.I usually look for answers in a book first.You can’t really learn dance moves in a book, but you get the idea.

There those titles sat with their read and unread brethren…not being read.It occurred to me to let them go.Did I feel lighter after they were gone?I sure did. Have I bought any new books?Yes, but not nearly as many as before.It’s worth repeating, not anywhere near the amount I’ve bought before. I filled the local lending libraries around my neighborhood. Here are a few. Aren’t they cute?! They are sponsored by the local neighborhood organization.

Tiny Library

Take a Book. Leave a Book.

Open me up, see what’s inside.

For books, not for birds.

I still have books on the shelves that I haven’t read yet.I’ve kept the ones I sincerely think I’m going to get around to reading:-)There are books I’ve read many many times and will continue to do so: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho andThe Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz to name two.I have books that have made me laugh and still do just thinking about them and yup, a bunch of reference stuff, you know, for reference, lots of books for classes I’ve taken and books for things I want to learn e.g. cooking in certain cultures and chess strategy. The plan is to live a good long life and get around to reading every one of them in perfect time.Summer is a good time to pick up a book.What are you reading?